1. Presentation Kick-off meeting – Brussels – DG ECHO – 2016-01-20
IGNIS Initiative for Global maNagement of bIg fires through Simulation ECHO/SUB/2015/718664/PREP01
Presentation
Kick-off meeting – Brussels – DG ECHO –
20/01/2016
IGNIS WEB PRESENTATION DG ECHO BRUSSELS

2. IGNIS WEB PRESENTATION DG ECHO BRUSSELS
IGNIS FACTSHEET
IGNIS
Agreement number
ECHO/SUB/2015/718664/PREP01
Preparedness – actions aimed at improving cross border civil protection […]
Area of activity
Forest fires
Partners
CO: Entente pour la Forêt Méditerranéenne, France
BE1: Escola Nacional de Bombeiros, Portugal
BE2: Ministero Interno – Dipartimento dei vigili del Fuoco del soccorso pubblico e della difesa civile, Italy
BE3: Northumberland County Council, Fire and Rescue Service, United Kingdom
Total eligible costs
€ ,00
EC Contribution
€ ,00
Financing rate
75%
Duration
24 months
20/01/2016
IGNIS WEB PRESENTATION DG ECHO BRUSSELS

3. Entente Pour La Foret Mediterraneenne www.entente-valabre.com
Created in 1963
Public cooperation body gathering 15 departments + 1 region and their civil protection services
Civil protection training (national & international level), R&D, geomatics, ICT, prevention & information
78 staff
Training:
150 modules in civil protection
18000 days/year in France and days at international level (forest fires: USA, Belgium, Turkey, Venezuela… )
2000 trainees /year
Pedagogical resources: simulation centre, e-learning platform, various technical centres
20/01/2016
IGNIS WEB PRESENTATION DG ECHO BRUSSELS

4. Escola Nacional de Bombeiros National Fire Service School
Portuguese Firefighters
470 Fire Stations
Firefighters on duty
National Fire Service School
3 Training Centers
36 Local Training Units
1759 Trainers (1733 external & 26 internal)
Results of the firefighters training in the last 3 years2:
5 338 Courses
Trainees
Specialised Training in Forest Fires
Specialized Training Center – Lousã (Coimbra)
11 Specialised courses in Forest Fires
(From Operational level to Big Forest Fires Incident Command)

5. Corpo nazionale dei Vigili del Fuoco http://www.vigilfuoco.it
Department of firefighters, public rescue and civil defense (Ministry of Home Affairs):
8 central directorates
18 regional offices
100 provincial commands
800 stations throughout the country
professional and volunteer units
Among technical operations of public assistance of the National Corps are:
technical rescue during fires, uncontrolled releases of energy, sudden or threatening structural collapse, landslide, floods or other public calamity;
services and training to the units responsible for the protection of civil populations
Management of Italian Canadair CL-415
20/01/2016
IGNIS WEB PRESENTATION DG ECHO BRUSSELS

6. Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service (UK)
Fire and Rescue (FRS) cover to County of Northumberland in North East England
Area: 5,026 square kilometres
Population: 316,028 people
17 fire stations
146 Wholetime firefighters and officers
188 Retained firefighters
17 Fire control personnel
42 support staff
Total personnel: 393
Wholetime firefighters are fulltime firefighters
Retained firefighters are part-time firefighters that go to the fire station when alerted to a fire call. They often have another primary job within the local area.
The England and Wales Wildfire Forum (EWWF) is a multi-agency stakeholder group of public, private and third-sector parties established to address wildfire issues. The EWWF is a voluntary strategic body, independent of government, created to expand knowledge and understand of wildfire, with the overall purpose of reducing the harmful impact of wildfires by promoting joint working and collaboration.
Further information about the EWWF can be found online at:
The Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) Wildfire Group includes representatives from 25 UK Fire and Rescue Services. The aims of the group are to:
Raise the awareness of risks and dangers of Wildfire incidents within the UK FRS community
Seek to develop national standards for Wildfire training and techniques
Seek to identify and establish accreditation for Wildfire training
Identify and share best practice in relation to Wildfire Incidents
Develop an effective marketing, lobbying and communications strategy to support the activities of the Forum
Offer advice and support to Fire and Rescue Services regarding Wildfire pre-planning, prevention and response
Ensure that there is effective liaison and exchange of information between the CFOA Wildfire Forum and the England and Wales Wildfire Forum (EWWF), Scottish Wildfire Forum (SWF) and other relevant fora, organisations and agencies 
Commission and co-ordinate work packages to develop policies and procedures. Where necessary proposals/documents will be submitted to the CFOA Operations Response Directorate on behalf of the forum
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service is currently playing a leading role in the development of the first UK National Operational Guidance for Wildfires for Fire and Rescue Services. Further information concerning the National Operational Guidance for Wildfires can be found online at
Lead FRS in the UK for wildfire operations and training:
Chief Fire Officer Chairs England & Wales Wildfire Forum
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Chairs Chief Fire Officers Association Wildfire Group
Coordinating development of National Operational Guidance for UK FRS on Wildfires

7. IGNIS WEB PRESENTATION DG ECHO BRUSSELS
Context
Big wildfires will increase even in Northern European countries due to climate change, the growing importance of forest / urban interface and increasing touristic frequentation
National resources to handle such fires will become more and more insufficient. International coordination will therefore be necessary in many cases. The ERCC and CECIS organise and manage liaison and mutual information to coordinate emergency response, but obstacles still remain as resources and management of competences of fire corps are handled differently in each country, and mutual learning, planning and communication remain underdeveloped.
20/01/2016
IGNIS WEB PRESENTATION DG ECHO BRUSSELS

8. IGNIS WEB PRESENTATION DG ECHO BRUSSELS
Objectives
Development of a cost-effective and user-friendly simulation tool with a virtual environment close to real-life conditions: IGNIS will contribute to develop better preparedness through harmonised competences and a better coordination and creation of new procedures between countries participating in joint interventions related to big fires suppression
Provision of a joint tool and, in the medium term, a transnational association to support the development of joint and linked simulation- based software and equipment: IGNIS will contribute to reduce the current gaps in transnational coordination on firefighting
20/01/2016
IGNIS WEB PRESENTATION DG ECHO BRUSSELS

9. IGNIS WEB PRESENTATION DG ECHO BRUSSELS
Results
An internationally tested and assessed virtual environment training platform to develop fire officers’ competences related to the mastering and practice of command chain processes in local and international suppression operations on big forest fires.
Specific scenarios and a training module adapted to multi-national interventions will be associated to the tool, in order to help enhancing the preparedness of European intervention teams for upcoming emergency responses related to big wildfires.
The technical and functional specifications to allow building up mobile units of this simulation tool by all interested European fire corps.
A complete review of the IGNIS pilot project’s findings, made available to all interested stakeholders in order to further develop simulation tools as a key solution towards a better preparedness of European firefighters.
A protocol creating a new European consortium, the IGNIS Fire Simulation Resources Centre, aimed at gathering in a medium term perspective European countries around simulation for preparedness and later on neighbouring Mediterranean countries, in compliance with EUCPM objectives and rules.
Complementarity with other projects: EUFOFINET (INTERREG IVC), DRIVER (FP7)…
20/01/2016
IGNIS WEB PRESENTATION DG ECHO BRUSSELS

10. Work package breakdown
Task ID
Task Title
Actions
Deliverables
WP1
Project Management and Coordination
- Inception phase
- Project monitoring and governance
- Technical coordination of activities
- inception meeting’s minutes & decisions (and if necessary of preparatory meeting), inception report and internal coordination agreement
- Monitoring toolkit, 3 financial and technical reports
- Minutes of 4 steering meetings and 12 web conferences
WP2
Transfer/test of a simulation training & exercise tool at a transnational level
- Initial training of partners organisations’ officers
- Transnational simulation exercises in Portugal and Italy
- programmes & feedback of training sessions
- scenarios, programmes, organisation model, supporting documents and& feedback of transnational simulation exercises
WP3
Assessment and pooling of the simulation tool
- Self-assessment process (INTROSPECT)
- IGNIS advisory board & observers
- IGNIS Resource Centre
- Self-assessment tools
- Slideshows, supporting documents/minutes of Advisory Board’s meetings
- Observation reports (1 for initial training, 1 for each simulation exercise)
- Final expert report and perspective or the simulation tool
- Signature of the founding protocol of the iGNIS resource centre
WP4
Communication & dissemination activities
- Communication tools and activities
- Dissemination activities incl. final seminar in Brussels
- Communication plan & project communication toolkit
- website and other web tools (social web including forums)
- Newsletters, press releases and videos
- specialised publications
- dissemination events’ minutes & communication final report
20/01/2016
IGNIS WEB PRESENTATION DG ECHO BRUSSELS